Walking The Beat with Deputy Gabe

What an amazing week we just finished. Last year I mentioned how awesome it was to be back and get all those high fives, knuckles, and hugs again. Well, this year was not different. After a summer filled with training, patrol work, and time off, you have no idea how great it was for me to see everyone again. Old faces, and new faces alike. Each one of you make a difference in ways you probably don’t even know, so, thank you for that!

I am very optimistic that this year is going to be a great year. And as you know, we can’t do this without your involvement. When I train during the summer, every time we start an activity the instructor always asks, “who is responsible of safety?” and the answer always is, “all of us.” It doesn’t matter who the instructor is or who the assistant to the instructor is during our trainings, if anyone sees something that is not safe, that person is responsible for saying something right away. I think it is the same here at STEM. We are all (students, parents, staff, guests, etc) responsible for the safety of our campus, and without your help, we wouldn’t be able to have a safe school for everyone to enjoy. That is why I encourage you to read the STEM SPOTLIGHT newseltter every week. Not just my portion of it, but everything that is shared here. A lot of very important information is put together every week for everyone to be informed, and to be on the same page.

As we start this school year, I want to share with you some information that will be helpful for you to know. Are you familiar with the Standard Response Protocol (SRP)? It is an action-based protocol for specific situations. I am sharing the link to the I Love you Guys Foundation so you can learn more about this. All the drills we practice here at STEM (Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate and Shelter) are based on this material. At times, we have parents in the building either volunteering or having a meeting. I believe that it is important for you to understand our response protocol so you could react the same way as we practice. I know that just by reading the material doesn’t give you the full understanding of what to do, but at least it will provide you with the basic knowledge of the necessary response. Please know that if you ever have questions about the SRP, I am more than willing to answer any questions you might have. I always enjoy meeting with parents and serve as a resource for you as well.

As I always mention at the end of Walking the Beat: thank you, parents for helping us to keep our students safe! And thank you, parents for allowing me to be part of your children’s story; I consider it an honor and a blessing! Don’t forget to be kind to each other. We do have a lot of new students, so if you are a student and you are reading this, take the first step and talk to someone you don’t know, sit and have lunch with a student that is eating by him/herself. If you have a chance, let me know how it goes. Sometimes our actions seem like nothing to us, but they mean the world to somebody else.

If you have any questions, please email me at gabe.uribe@stemk12.org and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you again for your time…GO SPARTANS!

Be safe!

Deputy Gabe